Review: 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino

Title: 2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas
Author: Marie-Helene Bertino
Publisher/Publication Date: Broadway Books, August 5, 2014
Genre: Contemporary
Format/Source: Paperback, Blogging for Books

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository


Synopsis from Goodreads...

Madeleine Altimari is a smart-mouthed, rebellious nine-year-old who also happens to be an aspiring jazz singer. Still mourning the recent death of her mother, and caring for her grief-stricken father, she doesn’t realize that on the eve of Christmas Eve she is about to have the most extraordinary day—and night—of her life. After bravely facing down mean-spirited classmates and rejection at school, Madeleine doggedly searches for Philadelphia's legendary jazz club The Cat's Pajamas, where she’s determined to make her on-stage debut. On the same day, her fifth grade teacher Sarina Greene, who’s just moved back to Philly after a divorce, is nervously looking forward to a dinner party that will reunite her with an old high school crush, afraid to hope that sparks might fly again. And across town at The Cat's Pajamas, club owner Lorca discovers that his beloved haunt may have to close forever, unless someone can find a way to quickly raise the $30,000 that would save it.

As these three lost souls search for love, music and hope on the snow-covered streets of Philadelphia, together they will discover life’s endless possibilities over the course of one magical night. A vivacious, charming and moving debut, 2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas will capture your heart and have you laughing out loud...

My Thoughts:

Like all books I gave 2 A.M. at the Cat’s Pajama the first hundred pages to impress me, but as it turns out this story just wasn’t for me. The cover is cute and charming, but I was extremely bored. There was little about the book that kept my interest and eventually I decided to call it quits. Madeleine is described as “smart-mouthed”, “precarious nine-year-old” and “an aspiring jazz singer”—and she does sing, but she was also incredibly rude. After all, she describes herself as being a “jerk” and is consistently mean to those who would have liked to be her friends. However, the people around her—namely at the school she attended—were two kinds of terrible as well. There were a lot of characters, and plenty of perspectives all crammed into the 99 pages that I read, but despite this I couldn’t get into the story.

This book will have an audience—people who will enjoy it—but sadly, in the end, I was incredibly disappointed.

Rating DNF

I received this book from Blogging for Books (Publisher) for this review, thank you!

About the Author...

Marie-Helene Bertino's debut novel 2 AM AT THE CAT'S PAJAMAS will be published by Crown in August, 2014. Her collection of short stories SAFE AS HOUSES received The 2012 Iowa Short Fiction Award and the Pushcart Prize and was long-listed for the Frank O'Connor Short Story Award and The Story Prize. She hails from Philadelphia and lives in Brooklyn. She was an Emerging Writer Fellow at NYC's Center for Fiction and teaches at NYU, Sackett Street Writers' Workshop, The Center for Fiction, and One Story's Emerging Writer's Workshop, where she was the Associate Editor for 6 years. She has received fellowships from The MacDowell Colony and Hedgebrook and currently works as a biographer of people with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

Review: The Girl in the Road by Monica Byrne

Title:The Girl in the Road: A Novel 
Author: Monica Byrne
Publisher/Publication Date: Broadway Books, February 17, 2015
Genre: Science Fiction
Format/Source: Paperback Review Copy, Blogging for Books

Goodreads     Barnes & Noble     Amazon     Book Depository     Audible



Book Summary From Goodreads

In a world where global power has shifted east and revolution is brewing, two women embark on vastly different journeys—each harrowing and urgent and wholly unexpected.

When Meena finds snakebites on her chest, her worst fears are realized: someone is after her and she must flee India. As she plots her exit, she learns of The Trail, an energy-harvesting bridge spanning the Arabian Sea that has become a refuge for itinerant vagabonds and loners on the run. This is her salvation. Slipping out in the cover of night, with a knapsack full of supplies including a pozit GPS system, a scroll reader, and a sealable waterproof pod, she sets off for Ethiopia, the place of her birth. Full Summary Here

My Thoughts:

This is going to be incredibly short. It’s been a long time since I had to DNF a book, and this unfortunately is going to be one of them. The Girl in the Road by Monica Byrne seemed like something I would enjoy—the synopsis got my interest and the writing was just alright—but sadly it just wasn’t my thing. I gave it a chance, but there were elements within the story that didn’t work for me. And those elements played into my decision to DNF this book since I wasn’t enjoying it. However I’m sure other people might find this book interesting, so I encourage you to check out other people's reviews.

DNF

I received this book from Blogging For Books for this review, thank you!

About the author

Monica Byrne studied at Wellesley College and MIT. She's a writer and playwright based in Durham, North Carolina.

ARC Review: Sweeter Than Sin By Shiloh Walker

Title: Sweeter Than Sin (A Secrets & Shadows Novel, #2)

Author: Shiloh Walker

Publisher/Publication Date: St. Martin's Press, September 30, 2014

Format/Source: E-ARC, Publisher/NetGalley

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Goodreads     

Book Summary From Goodreads

CAN’T FORGET THE PAIN

It took years for Adam to stop drowning his regrets in alcohol, and running the local bar doesn’t make it any easier—especially not when everyone he knows gathers there to discuss the shocking allegations that have shattered his hometown. When another murder rocks sleepy Madison to its core, it becomes chillingly clear that even more vicious wounds are waiting to be exposed.

WON’T RESIST THE PLEASURE

Nothing is sacred anymore, and no one is safe, least of all the mystery woman who shows up in town out of the blue, looking like every fantasy Adam’s ever had. She may have her own dangerous secrets, but she can’t ignore the urgent heat between them any more than he can. As a killer’s quest for vengeance explodes into violence, Adam is tempted to lose himself in the delicious promise of her body—until he realizes he’ll risk anything if she’ll give him her heart…in Sweeter than Sin by Shiloh Walker.

My Thoughts

I have read a few of Shiloh Walker’s books. Sweeter Than Sin is the first book written by Walker that I started reading and didn’t finish. As is usually true with the books I’ve read by Walker, it is filled with dark elements and characters with demons in their closets/troubled pasts. After several attempts to complete this novel, I finally decided to call it quits. No, it wasn’t because it was poorly written. And yes Walker stayed true to what she usually writes, but I felt that the storyline started out a little too dark, and I didn’t like the frequent reminders of the vile acts committed in the small town.

Although Sweeter Than Sin might be for some, this book just wasn’t for me. However, I will continue reading books by Walker, because from the books I’ve read by this author in the past—She Owns Me and Stolen, she skillfully presents difficult topics and brings troubled characters to life.

Actual Rating DNF

I received an e-arc of Sweeter Than Sin from the publisher/NetGalley for this review.

ARC Review: Her Special Forces by Sophia Roslyn

Title: Her Special Forces
Author Sophia Roslyn
Publisher, Publication Date:  Entangled Ignite, August 4, 2014
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Format/Source:  E-ARC, Publisher

Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Goodreads

Book Summary from Goodreads

Retired Marine Viper helo pilot and ground cover expert, Kacey O’Donnell is called out of retirement for a special assignment: to assist in extracting the kidnapped daughter of a U.S. Senator, after an FBI team is betrayed and taken out. 

Former SEAL hero Nathan Weatherly looks forward to his new job as Deputy Sheriff in the small, quiet Normal Rockwell town where Kacey grew up. The former lovers have a history she has no desire to revisit, and a dark secret she refuses to share. 

With a young girl’s life at stake, Kacey helps pull Nathan’s team together for one last assignment. But, she finds it next to impossible to work with Nathan again—especially when she knows he wants so much more, and she has so much to hide.

My Thoughts

Her Special Forces by Sophia Roslyn had such an intriguing name, synopsis, and prologue, but it wasn't what I expected.

I Did Not Finish Her Special Forces. I didn't like how the story unfolded. It weighed too heavy on the romance side with too little suspense in the beginning, and it just took too long for the elements of suspense to arrive on the scene. As Kacey was filled in on the details of the case and after she said, “Oh, Jack, no,” I began to say, "Oh, Jack, yes” (p. 78) along with Jack Cannon, a special agent, with the hopes that there would be a turn of events that’d pull me back into the story. But by the time I got another glimpse at the case that needed to be solved, I lost interest.

Rating-DNF

E-ARC Review SEAL of Honor By Tonya Burrows

SEAL of Honor

By Tonya Burrows

Entangled Publishing - May 28, 2013

 



Title: SEAL of Honor

Author: Tonya Burrows

Series: Hornet #1

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Length: 352 pages

Release Date: May 28, 2013

Imprint: Entangled Select

ISBN: 978-1620612583

 

Purchase from Amazon     Purchase from Barnes &Noble     Add to Goodreads 

 

Synopsis

 

It’s a good thing Gabe Bristow lives and breathes the Navy SEAL credo, “the only easy day was yesterday,” because today, his life is unrecognizable. When his prestigious career comes to a crashing halt, he’s left with a bum leg and few prospects for employment that don’t include a desk.

That is, until he’s offered the chance to command a private hostage rescue team and free a wealthy American businessman from Colombian paramilitary rebels. It seems like a good deal—until he meets his new team: a drunk Cajun linguist, a boy-genius CIA threat analyst, an FBI negotiator with mob ties, a cowboy medic, and an EOD expert as volatile as the bombs he defuses. Oh, and who could forget the sexy, frustratingly impulsive Audrey Van Amee? She’s determined to help rescue her brother—or drive Gabe crazy. Whichever comes first.

As the death toll rises, Gabe’s team of delinquents must figure out how to work together long enough to save the day. Or, at least, not get themselves killed. Because Gabe’s finally found something worth living for, and God help him if he can’t bring her brother back alive.

 
My Thoughts

The good, the bad, and why I did not finish SEAL of Honor….. Well the cover is nice, but that’s not what convinced me to read the romantic suspense novel, SEAL of Honor by Tonya Burrows. In actuality, the title caught my attention, because I love stories about Navy SEALs/ men in uniform. There were some characters that I loved and some characters such as Rafael that seemed a bit extraneous. He was Gabe’s flamboyant brother and direct opposite, but he wasn’t essential to the plot. As indicated in the synopsis, Audrey is “…determined to help rescue her brother.” However, her role in resolving her brother’s hostage situation was surreal. Audrey’s lies and presence appeared to be a bit of a distraction.  Audrey and Gage would even become intimate at inopportune times when they should have been developing a plan of action. Yet their irrational behavior was kind of intriguing because it created harrowing situations that called for action. Although, the action fell flat at times because Gage did not always make the best use of his weapons. When they came under attack and he had fair warning, I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t prepared to fight. As for Audrey, she was too afraid to hurt anyone in the beginning and she had to deal with inner conflicts prior to taking action. The adrenaline-charged action started after Gage was inspired to keep Audrey safe at all cost, but the high powered action was only short lived. Audrey was amusing when she thought that Gage was in trouble. The fire started burning in her, and she became creative with developing an unconventional weapon as she planned to defend her man or “stupid alpha male” (145). At this point, I still thought that the book was okay. However, when I arrived at page 216, I found some of the content distasteful, which influenced my decision to not finish the book.
 

Rating-DNF

The publisher provided me with an e-ARC of SEAL of Honor for an unbiased review, thank you.